


Serenade

by Pyreite



Series: Shades of Ryder [5]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Classical Music, Dating, F/M, Flirting, Interspecies Relationship, Kissing, Romance, Serenade, Serenading, Singing, Singing in the car, Song Lyrics, wingman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-27 12:05:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14425044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pyreite/pseuds/Pyreite
Summary: Liam plays matchmaker in the back of the Nomad on a standard trip planet-side.  Ryder has her heart set on one bloke, and he's tall, blue, and really likes her singing.





	Serenade

**Author's Note:**

> Unedited.

Jaal is shocked the first time he hears Ryder sing. She’s a warrior, a biotic, and the Pathfinder of her people. He never thought she’d be able to carry a tune. She trills like a bird when she’s bored, or hums under her breath when she’s singing along to a song only she can hear. Jaal listens with rapt attention when one day, she opens her mouth and serenades him.

Or so he thinks.

The song is odd, the rhythm bizarre – but he still blushes when she coos - ‘ _Oh, Darling – stand by me_ ’. It plays over the radio in the Nomad and Ryder sings until the end. Jaal’s cheeks are purple when Liam nudges him in the side. He looks at his friend, blue eyes wide.

“You all right?”

Jaal shakes his head. “No”.

Liam frowns. “You put off by Ryder’s singing?”

“No”, replies Jaal as the Nomad shakes, rattles, and rolls on her tyres. Ryder isn’t the best driver, and she’s still chirping like a tweety-bird – ignorant of his discomfort. Jaal shifts in his seat, suddenly wishing he wasn’t riding in the back beside Liam. The human is a little too perceptive some times. He sees the very things Jaal would prefer to keep hidden – like his attraction to Ryder.

“Then why the face?” asks Liam. “You’re more purple than normal. Are you sick or something?”

“No”, says Jaal. He trembles when Ryder opens her mouth again. The phrase that comes out has him shaking down to his toes. It’s poetic, sweeter than paripo, and makes him want to kiss her senseless. Jaal doesn’t think that would be appropriate considering Liam is with them.

‘ _And I won’t shed a tear, just as long as you stand by me. Stand by me_ ’.

Liam sniffs, casts a glance from him to Ryder and says one word. “Right. Now this is getting way too weird even for me”. Jaal’s heart is in his throat when Liam yells over the noise of the radio and Ryder singing her heart out. “Hey, Sara! SARA!”

Liam bangs on the back of the driver’s seat to get her attention.

“Earth to Sara Ryder!”

Jaal gasps when she stops singing. She flicks a switch on the dash – the radio cuts off with a hiss of static. Ryder doesn’t turn around, but she does respond.

“Yeah? What is it?”

Liam rolls his eyes with exasperated fondness. He cracks a smile and jerks a thumb at Jaal. “Never thought you’d be into classical music. You got anything other than Ben. E. King on that playlist?” There’s a twinkle in Liam’s eye that Jaal doesn’t like. He’s up to something. Jaal knows he’s in trouble when Liam grins from ear to ear.

“How about a little Sam Cooke?”

Ryder laughs. “Sure, any particular song?”

Liam nods. “Yeah. How about – Bring it on home?”

Ryder beams. “Man, I love that song! Even my brother loved the classics too. And Sam Cooke had the best voice eight hundred years ago. Geeze, the man could melt butter on toast”.

Jaal scowls when Liam kicks back in the Nomad’s backseat. He is upset that Liam would ask Sara to play this particular song. It’s slow too, has a strange beat, but the words always cut his heart in two. Liam doesn’t know about Allia, but Ryder does. Jaal remembers that rather uncomfortable conversation.

The radio is switched back on. The buttons beep as SAM skips through Ryder’s extensive playlist. The right song is selected when a piano plays the intro. Jaal sucks in a breath when Ryder sings the opening verse. It’s torturous at first, listening to her croon - ‘ _If you ever change your mind, about leaving, leaving me behind_ ’. Jaal is lost in his own personal misery until Liam nudges him in the side again.

He frowns. “What?”

Liam winks and nods to the front seat of the Nomad. There’s a mirror over Ryder’s head. Jaal huffs, follows Liam’s line of sight, and blushes when he sees Sara in the mirror. She winks and smiles at him as she sings. Jaal doesn’t realise she’s singing by herself, without music blaring through the radio. She’s gone acapella, lips forming the words that leave his heart hammering in his chest.

‘ _Baby_ ’, coos Sara. ‘ _Bring it to me. Bring your sweet loving. Bring it all home to me_ ’.

Liam laughs. Jaal almost melts in his seat. Sara continues serenading him like a hen looking for a cockerel to share her nest. Jaal’s thoughts are mush when Liam nudges him in the side again. He blushes a deeper more lurid violet.

“She likes you”, Liam tells him. “A whole lot”.

Jaal’s heart skips a beat. The news shocks him. “She does?” He has to take a quick glance at Sara, still singing like a bird to confirm it. She winks in that mirror, smiles, and blows him a kiss.

He gasps. Liam smirks. “She hasn’t been singing to you for weeks for nothing”.

A minute later Liam isn’t surprised the Nomad rumbles to a stop. He’s even less surprised when Jaal pops the door open and jumps out. He watches in amusement when Ryder’s door is hauled open too. He snickers when Jaal fumbles with her seatbelt, cursing. The angara can’t quite get it to come undone.

Sara giggles. Jaal glares at her. Liam offers a little advice.

“Try the red button”.

Jaal’s gruff - “Thank you”, makes Sara smile.

It takes all of thirty seconds to finally get that belt off their driver. Liam kicks back and relaxes as Sara is yanked out of her seat. He hears her feet hit the ground, the gravel crunching underfoot. The Nomad rocks as Jaal presses her against the back of it. Liam grins to himself, all smug about his matchmaking skills, when he hears the smack of lips.

“Damn, I’m good”, he crows whilst Jaal kisses Ryder senseless.


End file.
